Gun-cleaner.



No. 667,060. Patented Jan. .29, l90l.

R. B. CARR.

GUN CLEANER.

(Application filed. Jul 6, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Tn: "ohms rsrzns co. FHO10-L|THO.. WASHINGTON. n. c,

lrnn STATES RUFUS B. CARR, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

GUN-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,060, dated January 29, 1901.

Application filed July 6,1900. Serial No. 22,716, (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS B. CARR, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gun-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its objectto provide a simple and effective device for use in connection with a cloth patch for cleaning the internal surface of a gun-barrel after firing, and has for its object to provide a cleaner adapted to smoothly distribute and adjust the patch upon its periphery and press the patch firmly against the internal surface of the gun-barrel.

The in vention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a gun-cleaner embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a view of the outer end of the same. Fig. 3 represents a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

My improved cleaner consists of a head made from a single piece of metal, which is a cylindrical blank externally ribbed or roughened to engage a clot-h patch and move the same back and forth within a gun-barrel and made tubular and longitudinally slotted from one end partly to the other end to divide the ribbed or roughened portion into a plurality of resilient arms, the other end being left solid and forming a rigid connection between the bases of the arms.

The tubular portion of the head is formed by boring the same to form a cavity 9, extending from the outer end partly to the inner end of the head. The resilient arms a are formed by cutting two longitudinal slots b b in the tubular portion, thus forming four arms a, the external faces of which are ribbed or roughened to engage the patch by forming peripheral grooves c in the periphery of the head, these grooves being preferably formed before the slots 1) are cut and separated by ribs or projections d, which preferably have cylindrical outer facesand form well-defined angles at their intersection with the grooves c. The inner end portion of the head is left solid, forming a neck 6, which connects the arms and is provided with a threaded shank f, constituting a coupling member for engagement with the rod or stem.

When the cleaner is attached to the rod and forced into a gun-barrel against the central portion of the patch laid across the end of the muzzle of the barrel, it will force the patch into the barrel, forming it into'a sheath surrounding the cleaner. The normal diameter of the cleaner is such that the operation of forcing it, with the patch, into the gun-barrel causes the arms a to yield, and thus press the patch yieldingly against the internal surface of the barrel, the resilient arms conforming to the variations in the diameter of the barre] and operating equally well with barrels of different diameters within certain limits. The form imparted to the external surface of the arms by the grooves c and intermediate ribs dis well adapted to cause the arms to firmly engage the patch and cause the patch to move with the cleaner in both directions. I do not limit myself, however, to the described external form of the arms, as the same may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of my invention. Neither do I limit myself to the number of the arms here shown. The external surfaces of the arms a are preferably beveled at their outer ends, as shown at h, to facilitate the introduction of the cleaner into the barrel.

It will be seen that the arms 0,, formed by slotting the tubular portion of the head longitudinally, have their maximum resilience at their outer portions, their resilience decreasing from their outer to their inner ends. The roughened faces of the arms extend from the more resilient outer portions to the less resilient inner port-ions, so that when the head is being forced,with the patch, into the mouth of the barrel the patch is grasped with increasing firmness. The relatively light pressure of the outer portions of the roughened faces on the patch permit a preliminary slip of the head within the patch while the head is stretching the patch and eradicating wrinkles or creases therefrom, the patch be ing usually made of knitted fabric, so that it stretches freely. The less resilient portions of the roughened faces then come into engagement with the patch and engage the same positively. There is therefore no further slip of the head within the patch after the preliminary stretching above mentioned, the patch being then moved positively by the head, so that it acts effectively in cleaning the barrel and is not liable to be out or punched by the end of the head. The graduated resilience of the roughened faces of the arms caused by the extension of the roughened faces from the more resilient outer portions to the less resilient inner portions of the arms is therefore an important feature. It is essential for efficient cleaning that the patch move positively with the head without slip of the latter in the patch when the head and patch have both fully entered the barrel. If, however, the outer portions of the roughened faces that first press the patch against the barrel are sufficiently stiff to prevent the said preliminary slip of the head, the patch is not stretched and distributed smoothly between the head and the barrel, but is liable to be more or less creased or wrinkled. If all portions of the roughened faces are so resilient as to permit a continuous slip of the head within the patch, the head in being pushed inwardly is liable to be pushed through the patch, leaving the latter in the barrel. Byproviding for a preliminary slip of the head within the patch and for a subsequent positive engagement of the head with the patch I obviate the above-mentioned objections.

I claim- A gun-cleaner comprising a head having a solid inner end, a tubular portion extending from the solid end to the outer end, and a series of longitudinal slots subdividing the tubular portion into a series of resilient arms each of which has a roughened outer face to engage a patch and press it against the interior of a gun-barrel, the roughened faces extending from the more resilient outer portions of the arms to the less resilient inner portions, so that the patch is grasped with increasing firmness as the head enters the barrel, the head first slipping within the patch and then engaging the same positively.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUFUS B. CARR.

Witnesses:

O. BROWN, E. H. RoLLINs. 

